This is the time of year when female freshwater turtles from canals, lakes and ponds venture out of their natural water habitat to solid ground so they can lay eggs. This prehistoric reptile was spotted in Florida digging a hole and burying her eggs. When she was done, she hit the road and went back home into the pond. Tortoise and freshwater turtle conservation groups like the Turtle Survival Alliance have dubbed June as National Turtle Month.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission banned the commercial harvest of all native wild turtles in 2009, citing the overharvesting of turtles as food elsewhere in the world.

Lt. George Wilson says investigators in Polk and Seminole counties caught the men poaching turtles on lakes and the St. Johns River. The turtles were transported and sold illegally to a turtle farm in Okeechobee.

The men were charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors.

Wilson says he hopes the arrests help "ensure everyone has the opportunity to see freshwater turtles in the wild and harvest them recreationally."

Images: 2 loggerhead sea turtles make home at SeaWorld

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SeaWorld

Big Mama and Caton in TurtleTrek

Two female loggerhead sea turtles were moved into SeaWorld Orlando's turtle habitat, TurtleTrek, on Wednesday.